Pig Latin Curse
by CrypticGirl
Summary: When Elsa is placed under a pig latin curse, Senel's group must travel to the Crusand Empire to acquire a special eres stone to cure her. Concluded 09.26.06.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Tales of Legendia and its people and places belong to Namco.

Author's Note: Goodie, an epic/action type story. Action is another one of my weaker writing elements. Let's see how I can do with this one? Although this particular chapter doesn't have much action in it...

-----------

A young girl in a green dress rushed up to her father, Arnold Alcott in the hospital. She carried a pink flyer in her hand.

"Father, look at this!" she cried. "The Bantam Bouncers are holding a circus tonight!"

Alcott took the flyer from her hand and read the details on it. "Isn't this a little sudden? I wish I'd had more advanced notice."

"I'm sorry, Father. I just found out about it myself. So, can we go? Pretty please, can we go?"

"Elsa, sweetheart," Alcott said. "I'd love to take you, but I'm afraid I have so much work to do."

Elsa sighed with disappointment. "Oh..."

"However, you can ask Chloe and the others if they'll take you," Alcott continued. "They're all good people, and it'll be safer to be with all of them."

"Oh, thank you, Father!" Elsa hugged Alcott. "I will ask them!"

---------------

In Will's house, the heroes were discussing the circus themselves.

"Hah hah!" Moses yelled, squatting up and down. "Who's ready to go to the circus?"

"The circus would be the perfect job for you, Moses," Jay said. "You've got a clown, a monkey, and an acrobat all in one body."

"Hey, you!"

"That's enough, you two!" Will gave them both a bonk on the head.

"Hey, he started it, not me!" Moses cried.

"Well, I'm ending it!" Will told him.

"Yeah, you two squabble like a married couple!" Harriet added.

"Like hell!" Moses yelled.

"How can you compare us to a married couple?" Jay asked.

"Because you act like one!" Harriet said. "Say...are you two lovers?"

"No, we're not!" Jay and Moses yelled in unison.

"Harriet, that's enough," Will said. "Once you get these two going, it's hard to turn them off."

"Hey!" Jay and Moses cried.

They turned and walked over to the window, turning their backs to the group.

"You know, I think they're makin' fun of us," Moses said.

"You think?" Jay asked.

"Ooh, watch them kiss and make up," Norma chimed in. "You know, they really do act like a married couple."

"Norma..." Will raised his hand, preparing to bonk her. "Do you want some of this?"

Norma shrank back. "No thanks, Teach. I'm trying to cut down!"

Just then, there was a loud knock on the door.

"I'll get it!" Chloe walked over and opened the door to see Elsa standing outside.

"Elsa!" Chloe said.

"Chloe...I'm glad I found you," Elsa said. "I've been looking all over the city for you!"

"What's wrong?"

"You know about the circus that's going on tonight, right?"

"Yeah, we were just talking about that," Senel said.

Jay glared at him. "Were we really, Senel?"

Elsa continued. "Father says he has too much work to do and he can't take me. So I was wondering if I could go with you."

The party members exchanged glances.

"Of course, we'd be glad to take you," Chloe said.

Elsa quickly hugged her. "Oh, I love you, Chloe! You're so cool!"

Chloe blushed. "Elsa, ou don't have to do that."

"All right, everyone," Will said. "It won't be long before the circus starts. Let's get ready to head out."

The group turned to him and nodded.

---------------

"Thank you, thank you very much!" Curtis called as the circus concluded. "We hope you enjoyed the show! Goodnight, everybody!"

The party stood up and began to leave the circus.

"Wow, that was a great circus!" Elsa cried. "I'm so glad I got to go! I can't wait to tell Father about it!"

"I'm sure he'll be happy to know that you had a good time," Shirley said.

"I have to use the restroom real quick," Elsa said. "I'll be right back."

She ran ahead of the group, where she disappeared within the crowd.

"Ha, that circus was great!" Moses exclaimed. "Don't you think so, Jay?"

Jay looked away. "Whatever."

"Oh, come on! Quit bein' such a sour puss!"

"What perfect balance..." Will gushed. "The gymnasts had perfect control on the high beams..."

"And did you see how the clowns made complete fools of themselves?" Norma asked.

"That was so much fun," Grune said. "I wonder if I should join the circus?"

"Oh yeah, G-Girl, you'd be the encore perfomance," Norma said.

Just then, they heard a loud female scream in the distance. "Aaahh!"

"What's that noise?" Moses asked.

"That was Elsa!" Chloe cried.

Let's hurry!" Senel called.

The group ran in the direction of the scream. Then they found Elsa on the ground unconscious with an Ere monster hovering over her.

"Elsa!" Chloe dashed at the monster, pulling back her sword to attack. However, the monster vanished long before she arrived.

The monster had gotten away, but that didn't matter. The rest of the group arrived at the scene and immediately checked on Elsa. Will and Shirley knelt down beside her and began casting their healing eres. But Elsa would not wake up.

"It's not working," Shirley said. "Were we too late? Is she already..."

"No, she's alive," Will said.

"She doesn't appear to be injured," Jay pointed out.

"We have to do something," Chloe said. "I'll never be able to face Alcott again."

"Let's get back to my house," Will said. "We'll see what we can do for her there."

The group nodded in agreement.

---------------

When the group got Elsa back to Will's house, they immediately put her in bed in the upstairs room. She simply lay there with a series of slow, rasping breaths.

"Elsa! Elsa, please wake up!" Chloe cried.

"Oooh..." Elsa moaned. "Hatway appenedhay otay emay...?"

"Elly, snap out of it!" Norma cried.

"Loecay...leasepay elphay emay..."

"Now I see..." Will said. "That monster put her under a pig latin curse. That means that everything she says comes out in pig latin."

"I an'tcay elievebay itay!" Moses exclaimed.

The entire room stopped as everyone gave him a confused look.

"I'm just kiddin'," Moses said. "But seriously, this is unbelievable."

"Teach, you're the only one with the Recover spell," Norma said. "Why don't you try that on Elly?"

"All right. Recover!" Will released some more of his healing energy on Elsa, but she still would not wake up.

"That's not working either," Shirley lamented. "I won't know what to say to Alcott either."

Will scratched his head. "I just don't understand..."

"Ooh, now I remember!" Norma exclaimed. "This happened to my teacher once!"

"So how did he break the curse?" Senel asked.

"The Recover spell should work, but you need a rare eres stone found only in Crusand Castle."

"Crusand?" Moses asked. "Ain't that Vaclav's country?"

"It sure is," Jay said.

"Guys, have you forgotten?" Norma asked. "Vaclav is gone now. It should be a piece of cake."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Will said. "While Vaclav may be gone, he may have followers who are as twisted as he was."

"But we can't just leave Elsa like this!" Chloe said. "Coolidge, Raynard, we have to get this eres stone."

"It looks like we have no choice but to depart for the Crusand Empire," Will said. "I'm a little concerned, though. I was exiled from the mainland for my crimes, and the authorities have vowed to execute me if I ever showed up there again."

"Hey Teach...how long did you say you were on the Legacy?" Norma asked.

"Over ten years," Will said. "Why?"

Norma smiled. "You've probably developed a few wrinkles since then. No one would recognize you in your old age."

Will's face soured as he approached Norma and gave her a bonk on the head.

"Ow!" she cried.

Jay shrugged. "She just never learns."

Just then, Harriet came into the room. "Hey Dad, how's Elsa?"

"She's not looking good," Will said. "We just learned that we need to acquire a special eres stone from the Crusand Empire."

"The Crusand Empire? That's on the mainland!" Harriet cried. "You were exiled from the mainland, Dad! They said they'd execute you if you ever went back."

"We're only going to Crusand. I don't think the authorities there would know me."

"We may all be killed by the remnants of Vaclav's forces," Senel added.

"But we won't give up," Chloe said. "We shall obtain the eres stone no matter what it takes."

"Can I come with you?" Harriet asked.

"No, it's too dangerous," Will told her.

"Oh, come on, Dad!"

"Will's right," Shirley said. "We can't bring someone who will only be a burden."

"We can't afford to waste our time looking after you," Jay added.

"Honestly! The nerve of you people!" Harriet yelled. "Dad, you're an eren, and I'm your daughter! Do you think I could use eres, too?"

"You know, I never thought of that," Moses said.

"Come on, Dad!" Harriet continued to plead. "I'm tired of doing nothing while you guys do everything! I wanna help, too!"

Will sighed. "Harriet, it's very brave of you to volunteer to accompany us, but I still insist that it's too dangerous. However, you can be a great help by staying behind and looking after Elsa."

Harriet paused. "Oh...yeah, you're right. We can't leave Elsa all alone, can we?"

"Another thing I'm concerned about is that once we reach the mainland, we'll have no means of staying in contact," Will said.

"So we'll just have to obtain the eres stone and return as quickly as possible," Senel said.

"All right, everyone, let's get some rest," Will said. "We'll meet back here in the morning, and then we'll head for Port-on-Rage."

The group faced him and nodded in agreement, then left the room, leaving Will and Harriet alone with Elsa.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Chapter 2, hopefully the real action will begin.

------------

The following morning, the group met at Will's house, then made their way to Port-on-Rage, where the boats dock with the Legacy. The group boarded the ship that sailed over to the Crusand Empire, then departed the ship upon arrival.

"Senel, you said you were one of Vaclav's soldiers once, correct?" Will asked. "Do you know how to reach Crusand Castle from here?"

"Yeah, it's this way." Senel led the group across the dirt fields en route to the gray stone castle that could be seen in the distance. As they got closer to the castle, they noticed that it was surrounded with green grass and bushes. When they arrived, the sun began to turn orange.

"Man, I'm beat," Norma said. "And we haven't even gone inside yet."

"But we have to hurry," Chloe said. "I feel nervous about leaving Elsa on the Legacy. We should get this finished as quickly as possible."

"We'll stop and rest here," Will said. "We'll need to be in tip-top condition before we enter the castle."

"And we'll have a better chance of sneaking in after it gets dark," Jay added.

"It's settled then," Senel said. "We'll hide out here until nightfall, and then we'll go in."

The party nodded in agreement.

---------------

When the sun went down, the sky became a midnight blue. The party stood up, now ready to enter the castle...almost.

"Okay, is everyone ready?" Senel asked.

"Not until we do something about sleepy down there," Will said.

The group looked down to see Norma sleeping soundly on the ground, snoring softly.

"Red and JJ are playing in bed..." she muttered aloud.

"Hey!" Moses and Jay yelled in unison.

They knelt down on either side of her, tugging on her ears.

"Ow, my ears...no pulling...no pulling..."

"Wake up!" Moses and Jay yelled.

"Aaahh!" Norma sat up with a scream.

Will folded his arms. "Are you awake now?"

"Completely."

"Good. Let's go."

The group crossed the drawbridge quickly but quietly, then headed for a stairway that led to the upper level. They looked up at the castle, many catwalks and bridge were strewn all over the place in a chaotic order.

"Whoa...this place is huge," Norma said.

"Norma, do you know where this eres stone is hidden?" Senel asked.

"Or what kind of monster it came from?" Will added.

"Hmm..." Norma pondered for a moment. "It came from a giant ogre creature of some sort. Where it might be, I have no idea."

"You mean they have ogres in the castle?" Chloe asked.

"I wouldn't put anything past Vaclav," Senel said. "He did bring dragons from the mainland, after all."

"Yeah, that's true..."

"Come on, let's proceed with caution," Will told them.

They began to sneak down the path, but then they heard a whooshing sound. Jay looked up to see a large fireball heading in their direction.

"Watch out! Get back!" he called.

The group backed off as the fireball slammed into the gazebo, blasting it to bits.

"What the hell?" Moses exclaimed.

"They have catapults," Jay said.

"They know we're here!" Shirley cried.

"But how?" Chloe asked.

"Move now!" Senel ordered.

He led the group down the path, then stopped them underneath the bridge. They waited as another catapult blast exploded somewhere nearby. The group made a right turn, going up another set of steps, leading to another set of bridges. The group stopped at the top of the steps. A large door stood to their left, which presumably was the way inside. However, they could also see the catapults set up at various points along the roof.

"There's the entrance!" Will said. "Let's hurry up and get inside."

The group ran to the door. Senel grabbed the door handle and jerked on it, but it wouldn't budge. He pounded on the door with his fist, and kicked it a few times.

"Damn, it won't budge!" he cried.

"It looks sturdy," Jay said. "We'll need some heavy firepower if we're going to break through."

Norma looked behind her at one of the catapults. "Um...you guys?"

Everyone turned around to see another catapult blast flying directly towards them.

"Everyone, get to the side!" Senel ordered.

The group scrambled in opposite directions; Moses and Norma let out a scream as the blast slammed into the door, blasting it to pieces.

Chloe picked herself up after the blast. "Well, I guess that's one way to do it."

"Let's hurry and get inside!" Will said.

The group ran through the opening, dashing through the door on their right and slamming it behind them. Now they found themselves in an armory, with a staircase ahead of them. To the right of the staircase was a wooden table, and a silver sword embedded in the wall in the back.

"Whew..." they muttered in unison.

"Glad that's over," Senel said.

"Oh, it's over. What a shame," Grune said.

"And...why is that a shame?" Norma asked.

Grune smiled. "Those fireworks were so pretty, weren't they?"

Everyone blinked at her. "She thought they were shooting fireworks?" they asked in unison.

"Shh! Quiet!" Jay hissed.

The group fell silent. Now they could hear an incoherent chanting whisper.

"What's that chantin' I'm hearin'?" Moses asked.

"It's probably coming from upstairs," Senel said.

"I wonder what it is?" Grune asked. Without waiting for a response, she slowly began to climb up the stairs.

"Grune?" Senel said. "Let's follow her."

The group followed her upstairs, but stopped abruptly when they saw a group of bald men with pale white skin and long black robes. The room itself surrounded the staircase in a rectangular form, while the spears were stored on either side of the wall.

"What the hell?" Moses gasped. "Who're these guys?"

Grune approached the robed figures with a smile. "Hello there. The weather is beautiful, isn't it?"

"G-Girl, this is hardly a time to be talking about the weather," Norma said.

She rushed and and pulled Grune back as one of the figures swung his flail at them. The rest of the group drew their weapons, squaring themselves to fight.

"Look sharp, everyone!" Will called.

Senel, Chloe, and Jay rushed in to attack. Moses threw his spear across the room, striking the figure in the chest. During the battle, Chloe looked around.

"There's no way out!" she cried.

Jay suffered a heavy blow from a flail, knocking him into the wall, where a golden sword was embedded. Acting more on impulse than anything, he ripped the sword from the wall. He then turned around and examined the indentation carefully.

_There's something behind this wall,_ he thought. _Come to think of it, there was a similar sword downstairs. I wonder if we need to switch the swords in order to proceed?_

He tossed it across the room; Moses ducked to avoid being hit.

"Damn it, Jay!" he cried. "Are you tryin' to kill me?"

"Place that sword in the indentation downstairs!" Jay called. "And then bring the other sword up here!"

Will picked up the sword. "Understood."

He went down the stairs, and everyone followed, except Grune and Jay.

"Hey, you don't have to leave me!" Jay cried.

Grune smiled. "It's all right, Jay. I'll stay with you."

"Thanks..." Jay said, his voice drenched in sarcasm.

He began to shove his way past the robed figures towards the stairs. However, one of them reached out, picked him up, and draped him over his shoulder.

"Hey, what the...?" he cried out. "Put me down! Senel! Will!"

Grune put her finger to her chin, apparently in thought. "Oh dear. Don't worry, Jay. I'll save you."

She turned to examine the spears stored on the wall while the robed figure carried Jay to the staircase with slow, small steps.

"Now which one should I use?" Grune wondered.

"Grune!" Jay screamed. "Forget about that! Just help me!"

"Let's try this one." Grune pulled a spear from the rack. "I'm going to give it my all. Charge!"

She ran around the railing, stabbing the robed figure in the abdomen with the spear. Jay simply dropped to the floor. Then he jumped up in horror as the figure's body began to melt right then and there. The body quickly melted into a thick brown sludge.

"Wh...what was that?"

Grune was still smiling. "So how was that?" she asked. "Was that good, Jay?"

"Yeah...that was great."

While downstairs, Will pulled the silver sword from the indentation and replaced it with the golden sword. Just then, several more robed figures burst into the room from the door behind them.

"Oh no, there's more of them!" Shirley cried.

One of the figures lunged forward, grabbing Shirley and draping her over his shoulder.

"Ahh! Senel!" she screamed.

"Shirley!" Senel cried.

Will concentrated, focusing his power for a quick spell. "Lightning!"

A lightning bolt struck the figure, freeing Shirley. Again, the body melted into a brown sludge as Shirley picked herself up and moved away.

"Eeuw, that is so gross!" Norma cried.

"What the?" Moses exclaimed.

"Let's take these guys out!" Senel cried.

"Got it!" Chloe agreed.

Senel pounded one of the remaining figures with punches, while Chloe slashed the other one with her sword. The two figures collapsed to the ground, also melting into the sludge. Then the group ran back upstairs.

"We've brought the sword," Will said.

"Thank you." Jay took the sword and placed it in the indentation on the back wall. Sure enough, the pane slid open, revealing a red door.

"Whoa..." the group muttered.

"Heh heh...I knew that all along," Norma said.

"Uh-huh, sure you did," Senel responded.

"What's going on?" Chloe asked. "Who were these robed men? They didn't look like Vaclav's soldiers."

"They looked like monks," Will said. "They appeared human, but their behavior was clearly not human. Especially with the way their bodies disintegrated after they died."

"And they were shooting catapults at us as soon as we snuck in!" Norma pointed out. "It's like they knew we were coming!"

"Maybe they saw us hiding outside before it got dark," Shirley said.

"They were also trying to kidnap Shirley," Senel added.

"Oh, they tried to take Jay as well," Grune said.

"They probably want to capture any one of us for interrogation," Jay said. "They probably want to know why we're here before they eliminate us."

"Yes, we're obviously not welcome here," Will agreed. "This castle is full of mysteries. The sooner we find what we're looking for and get out of here, the better off we'll be."

"I helped, too," Grune said. "When they grabbed Jay, I picked up a spear. And then I said, 'Charge!' And then I stabbed the monk and saved Jay. Aren't you proud of me?"

"Yeah, we're thrilled, G-Girl," Norma said.

"We're grateful for your help," Will added.

"Well, shall we continue our search?" Jay asked.

The group nodded. They then proceeded through the door, which led to another outdoor area. They headed straight for a large brown door straight ahead. This room was quite large and hollow, with large chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. There was a catwalk up ahead, where the group could hear an evil laugh...a familiar evil laugh.

"Listen..." Chloe said. "That laugh..."

Jay's eyes widened. "No...not here on the mainland..."

"There's only one sneaky, two-faced bastard who laughs like that," Moses said.

To confirm their suspicions, a man with a dull blonde ponytail and a wrinkled face stepped up to the railing on the catwalk.

"Solon!" the group exclaimed in unison.

"Welcome, everyone!" Solon said. "Please make yourselves at home. Do you like my new army? They're ruthless, brutal, and violent, just how I like them."

"What are you up to this time?" Senel asked.

"Now, now, there's no need to be so hostile after I've come out here personally to greet you," Solon said.

Norma stomped her feet. "Hostile? Your crazy monks were shooting catapults at us, and you're calling us hostile?"

"Well, might I inquire as to why you've all come here?" Solon asked.

"What do you care?" Senel snapped.

"Yeah, cut the 'gracious host' act already!" Norma added. "We all know that you're a mean, cruel, violent sadist!"

Solon sighed. "Very well, I'll get right to business then. If you care about your own lives, why don't you surrender yourselves? Or, Mr. Coolidge, you can just hand over the Radiant girl and walk away."

Shirley quickly hid behind Senel.

"Like hell I'll hand her over to you!" Senel shouted.

Solon shook his head. "As fiesty as ever, aren't we? Regardless, it's always a pleasure to see you, Jay, my dear apprentice..."

Jay narrowed his eyes. "Damn you..."

"Come, Jay, join me, and return to your old life. I'll forgive you for straying from your true destiny."

"No way!"

"Fine! You will die regretting your foolishness!" Solon turned and walked away.

"Hey, get back here!" Moses yelled.

Will folded his arms. "Well, this certainly complicates things."

"Indeed. What is Solon doing here?" Chloe asked. "He wasn't part of the Crusand Empire, was he?"

"No...he probably took the castle after Vaclav was defeated," Jay said. "But even I don't know the origin of those monks."

"They're probably Jay's relatives," Moses said.

"They are not my relatives!" Jay shouted. "How dare you lump me with them!"

"That reminds me of something," Norma said. "JJ, those assassins who kidnapped you before were So-So's men, weren't they?"

"Huh?" Jay was confused at first, but then he remembered that So-So was the nickname that Norma had created for Solon. "Oh...yes, that's right."

"Jay..." Senel said. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Jay glared at him. "I didn't think it was that difficult to figure out."

"He's right, Coolidge; we should have realized it ourselves," Chloe said. "Solon was the only one on the Legacy with ninjas under his command."

"At any rate, we should keep the eres stone as our first priority," Will said. "We'll worry about Solon later."

"Damn him!" Jay shouted, stepping ahead of the group. "He'll never stop torturing me! I can't take it any more! I'll finish him with my own hand!"

Moses approached him. "Jay."

Jay swiped his dagger at him. "What?"

"Come here for a sec."

Jay raised an eye as Moses led him over to the side of the room.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," Jay insisted.

"Just remember that you're with us," Moses told him. "We won't let that Solon torture you anymore."

"Oh...thanks."

"And remember that you're my little brother. I'm your big brother, so you can come to me anytime."

"That's...that's very...kind of you, Moses," Jay said.

Moses grinned. "Ain't it?"

"However, I liked you better as a decoy."

"Hey!"

Jay ignored his outburst and rejoined the rest of the group, who only stood there blinking. Moses followed Jay back as well.

"We finally got us a tender moment, and you had to go and ruin it!"

"Ooh, talking about tender moments, huh?" Norma asked. "Does that mean that Hattie was serious about you two being lovers?"

Jay rolled his eyes. "Now I understand why Moses calls you Bubbles. Just an empty ball that pops at the slightest touch."

"Hey, that wasn't very nice!"

"All right, we've done more than enough lollygagging," Will said. "We must get moving."

"Yes, there's no reason to keep standing around talking in here," Jay agreed.

The group nodded in agreement, then proceeded deeper into the castle.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Okay, here's Chapter 3...

------------------

The party went through the door to enter a carpeted corridor. Two more monks stood at the end, and they charged at the group upon spotting them.

"Uh-oh," Norma said.

"Leave this to me." Jay pulled out his dagger and threw it, severing a lantern hanging from the ceiling. The lantern shattered on the floor, exploding into a ball of flames, which engulfed the monks. They flailed their arms for a moment, then collapsed to the floor. As their bodies melted, the flames died down to nothingness.

"Wow, smooth move, JJ," Norma said.

"Don't mention it," Jay said flatly.

Giet rushed to the corner of the corridor and barked. The group rushed up to him.

"What's up, Giet?" Moses asked. "You find somethin'?"

Giet turned to him. "Woof!"

"There's a note on the wall," Senel said.

"Ooh, what's it say?" Norma asked. "Lemme see, lemme see!"

Senel pulled the note from the wall. "Calm down. I'll read it out loud."

_I searched through Vaclav's records and found some information concerning the Nerifes Cannon. It turns out that the Radiant use their own life energy to power it up._

_I never imagined that Senel's group would leave the Legacy, let alone come to this castle. I do not know why they are here, but I want them to be dealt with under certain conditions, based on their abilities. Here is a brief description of each of the intruders._

_Senel Coolidge - An Alliance Marine who uses iron eres. He appears to be the leader of the group. He was once a member of Vaclav's army in the past, so he may be familiar with the layout of the castle._

_Shirley Fennes - A Radiant girl, rumored to be the Merines. If she is the Merines, then she possesses power far beyond the average Radiant. Her energy will be more than sufficient to power up the Nerifes Cannon. Therefore, I want her alive._

_Will Raynard - A sheriff in Werites Beacon, who also studies natural history. He uses crystal eres to cast spells and heal allies._

_Chloe Valens - The sole survivor of the legendary House of Valens. She has carried on the skill and valor of the knights, so she is a force to be reckoned with._

_Norma Beatty - A world-class treasure hunter. Although she appears to be a naïve little girl, she possesses powerful crystal eres._

_Moses Sandor - Well known on the Legacy as the "stupid bandit." His iron eres makes him an even bigger nuisance._

_Jay - An information dealer on the Legacy, whom I raised and trained since he was an infant. I thought his skill had deteriorated since he'd been living with the Oresoren, but he still managed to defeat me in our last encounter. He's still as sharp as ever. Of course, I should expect no less from my own apprentice. Jay is the only other member of the group that I want alive. I have so much more to teach him._

_Grune - Very little is known about this woman. She appears to be clueless as to what's happening around her, so killing her should be no problem. I do know that she uses crystal eres._

_Conclusion: Dispose of the crystal erens first so that they cannot heal their allies. Kill the others as you see fit, but I want Shirley and Jay brought to me alive._

"Damn it!" Senel crumpled up the note and threw it to the floor.

"That's horrible!" Shirley exclaimed.

"Did he leave the note for us to find like this?" Will asked.

"Despicable," Chloe said.

"Stupid So-So! I'm going to strangle him!" Norma growled.

"That piece of--!" Moses snapped.

"Already, words are meaningless," Jay said.

Grune smiled. "Well, Senel, what does the note say?"

"Hello, G-Girl, weren't you paying any attention at all?" Norma yelled. "In a nutshell, the note says that So-So wants to kill all of us except Shirl and JJ."

Grune's face lit up. "Oh! So Solon wants to put Shirley and Jay in a nutshell."

Everyone dropped their heads.

"Let's just move on and pretend we didn't read that note," Norma said.

"Agreed," Chloe responded.

They turned the corner and began walking the rest of the path.

"Don't worry, Shirley," Senel said. "We won't let them take you."

"That's right," Moses agreed. "This family's gotta look out for each other."

"Yeah, you say that, but..." Norma began.

Senel turned to her. "Did you say something, Norma?"

"No, nothing."

Moses placed a hand atop Jay's head. "Don't worry, Jay. I got your back."

Jay swiped his arm away. "Stop it."

"Coolidge, is it true that you know the castle's layout?" Chloe asked.

"I used to," Senel said. "But the castle's been remodeled over the past few years; I can barely recognize anything."

"Do you know where we could search for these monsters?" Will asked.

"I recommend searching underground in the sewer. Vaclav usually kept his monsters hidden from the surface. I think I can find the way there."

-------------

Senel led the group to the sewer, which was a long, damp rounded path.

"All right, this is it," he said. "At least the sewer hasn't changed since then..."

"But there ain't nothin' down here!" Moses protested.

"Woof!" Giet let out an angry bark.

"Looks like Spot disagrees," Norma said.

"I can sense something down here as well," Jay added. "We'd better keep our guard up."

The group carefully walked down the sewer. It appeared to be empty at first...but the party gradually became aware of the foul stench that filled the air.

"Ugh...smells like something died in here," Chloe said.

"Yes, I imagine many people have died down here," Will said.

"Moses, try to keep your body odor to yourself," Jay said.

"It ain't me!" Moses insisted.

Shirley grabbed onto Senel. "Senel, something's coming!"

A swarm of giant butterfly creatures flew towards them from ahead. They had red orb eyes, light green bodies, and pink wings with white markings on them.

"Oh no, Hopperflies!" Norma cried.

"Take them out quickly!" Will called.

Senel and Chloe rushed in, trying to take out the Hopperflies as quickly as possible. Jay and Moses stood back, throwing their weapons at the monsters. It wasn't long before the Hopperflies fell, melting into the brown sludge. However, now the group noticed a glowing blue stone where each of the Hopperflies fell.

"There are the eres stones!" Will knelt down and picked one up. "I've never seen eres stones like these. To think that I'd find something like this on the mainland...absolutely fascinating!"

Everyone blinked at him.

"Uh-oh, he's in nerd mode again..." Norma lamented.

"Their eyes were like polished rubies," Will gushed. "And the markings on their wings were simply beautiful!"

Jay shrugged and shook his head. "I suppose everyone has their weaknesses."

"You're a fine one to talk," Moses said.

"Moses, please shut up."

"Okay, can we get out of this sewer now?" Norma asked.

"Oh, I hope I can acquire a sample while we're here..." Will babbled.

Norma approached him and bonked him on the head. "Come on, Teach, we don't have all night!"

Will stood up to face her, then promptly bonked her back. "Don't interrupt me when I'm studying!"

"Ow! Hey, that's not fair!"

Suddenly, they heard a banging noise from behind. The party turned and gasped as they saw a whole army of the monks rushing down the sewer with flails, scythes, and wooden shields.

"Oh, it looks like they want to play," Grune said.

Jay's face soured. "Define the word 'play.'"

"There's too many of them!" Chloe cried.

"Let's get the hell out of here!" Norma yelled.

"That's right!" Moses called as the party started to run. "Let's retreat! Regroup! Rerun!"

The party ran down the sewer with the monks in hot pursuit. Finally, they could see a ladder at the end of the path...but it was behind a large pool of filthy black water. The party came to a screeching halt at the edge of the pool.

"Whoa, end of the road!" Moses cried.

"What do we do, what do we do?" Norma asked.

"We'll have to swim across!" Senel said.

Chloe panicked. "S-Swim?"

"Let's go!" Senel jumped into the water and swam to the other side. Shirley followed.

"Yeehaw!" Moses jumped in and swam across next.

Will pulled off his glasses and tucked them into his pocket before making the dive.

"Hey, wait for me!" Norma made her way across.

"I only hope I can clean myself after this," Jay lamented. He held his breath as he jumped into the water and swam across.

"Whee!" Grune jumped into the water and slowly floated across on her back. "Floating, floating..."

Chloe was the only one who hadn't swam across yet. "Coolidge!"

Senel's eyes widened. _Damn, I forgot, Chloe can't swim!_

"Chloe, come on!" Moses called.

"But I...I..." Chloe was now trembling so hard that her knees were crashing together. She had always tried to hide her weakness, but she realized that there was no use turning back now. She threw her head into her hands. "I can't swim!"

"Wha?" The rest of the party was stunned.

"You're gonna have to, Chloe!" Senel called. "Come on, you can do it!"

"What? But..."

"You can do it, Chloe! I'm right here!"

"You can do anything you put your mind to!" Shirley added. "Hurry!"

"Hurry up, C, before those crazy monks get you!" Norma cried.

Chloe turned around as the monks moved ever closer. She then faced the water and bent her knees slightly, preparing to jump in. _Okay, Chloe, you can do this...Coolidge is right there. All you have to do is swim to him._

As she looked down at the pool, she didn't quite see the black water. All she could see was a black pit of despair just waiting to swallow her. She threw her head into her hands again.

"Chloe, watch out!" Senel shouted.

"Huh?" Chloe turned around again. One of the monks lit up a stick of dynamite and threw it towards her.

"Ahh!" Without even thinking, she jumped into the water, dodging the explosion from the dynamite.

"Chloe!" Senel screamed.

Chloe popped her head out of the water, then began screaming and flailing her arms about, splashing the water. "Ahh...help..."

"Chloe, this way!" Senel called, reaching out towards her.

"Kick your legs, like when you're walking!" Shirley instructed.

Chloe did as told, kicking her legs back and forth. Soon, she found herself able to keep her head above the water, and thus she calmed down a little. "Hey, it's working! I'm doing it!"

"Now work your way over this way," Senel said. "Keep kicking your legs."

Chloe turned towards Senel and slowly made her way over to him. When she got close enough, she took Senel's hand, and he pulled her out.

"I did it..." she said in between heavy breaths. "I did it!"

"Way to go, C!" Norma called.

Senel smiled. "I'm very proud of you."

"All right, let's get out of here," Will said.

One by one, the party climbed the ladder. Norma was the last one; she paused to turn to the monks, who were now standing at the other side of the pool. They hadn't even tried to swim after the group.

"Ah ha, so you guys can't swim either! You can't get us now, huh?" she teased.

She turned her back to the monks and slapped her behind. "Neener, neener, neener!"

One of the monks threw his scythe at her. Norma quickly ducked with a shriek.

"Norma!" Will called sternly.

"All right, I'm coming!" Norma climbed the ladder out of the sewer.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Enjoy as always. )

--------------

After escaping from the sewer, the party found themselves in an outdoor area again. Now they stood at the end of a long wooden bridge that extended to another building of the castle. They felt the cool breeze that blew through the air.

"Senel, what's in that area of the castle?" Will asked.

"I can't remember off-hand," Senel said. "But it's the only way to go, so we might as well cross it."

"Yuck..." Chloe looked down at herself. She and the others were covered in dirt and all kinds of grime from the sewer water. "I'd really like to get cleaned up as soon as possible."

"As do I," Jay agreed.

"We'll clean ourselves up as soon as we find some fresh water," Will said.

The group began to cross the empty bridge. They looked down, but all they could see was pitch black. About halfway across, Solon appeared in front of them. The group stopped and gasped.

"So, Senel and his comic book rejects are still alive, I see," Solon said.

"Well, duh!" Norma said. "What did you expect?"

"Hey, who're you callin' comic book rejects?" Moses growled.

Jay stepped forward. "Solon! Why must you constantly get in my way?"

Solon shrugged. "Why don't you start by telling me why you've come here?"

"That's none of your concern!"

"Well, you are trespassing in my castle. Should I not be concerned? I'm very territorial, you know. So come back to me, Jay. You can't deny your own bloodlust."

"I told you, I'm not like that anymore!" Jay spat. "I am no longer your killing engine!"

Moses stood right beside him. "You tell him, little brother!"

Solon shook his head. "Jay, Jay, Jay. Have you forgotten that I took you in and raised you? For that, you are eternally in my debt. You cannot escape your past. I did this all for your sake. Have you forgotten that?"

"I never forgot," Jay told him. "I was blind to your motives until recently. All that training you put me through was never for my sake. You only wanted to see me suffer. You never wanted me to get stronger. It was never about me at all. It was all about you and your own amusement."

"Ah, so you've finally figured it out after all this time? You never were very bright, you ungrateful brat!"

Moses stepped forward. "Hey, don't be talkin' trash like that!"

"Moses!" Jay shoved the bandit aside. Moses continued to stand right beside him.

"Regardless, I have so much more to teach you," Solon went on. "Come back to me, Jay. You and I will have so much fun together. Just think of all the blood we can shed. Think of all the people we could kill..."

Jay narrowed his eyes. "Mark my words, Solon. The next person I kill will be you!"

In a swift motion. Solon threw a fierce backhand punch to Jay's face. The blow sent him crashing into Moses, and they both rolled over the railing, falling into the blackness below.

"No!" Shirley cried.

The party gasped and looked over the railing, but the pair was nowhere to be seen.

"Red! JJ!" Norma cried.

Giet let out an agonized howl. "Awoo!"

Solon slammed his hands on the railing. "Damn you! Now look what you made me do! I wanted you alive!"

He paused and began talking to himself. "But then again, my little apprentice wouldn't die so easily, would he? Oh no..."

The party raised an eye at him.

Senel exploded with rage. "Solon, you bastard!"

He rushed at Solon with a set of quick jabs, but Solon dodged them all, seizing Senel by the throat.

"You will be the first to die!" Solon pressed Senel against the railing, then gave him a fierce knee attack to his exposed abdomen.

"Oof!" Senel cried out as the wind was knocked out of him.

"Senel! No!" Shirley ran up and grabbed Solon's arms, trying to free Senel. Solon released Senel and grabbed Shirley by the throat as Senel dropped to the ground.

"Ah hah! This couldn't have worked out better if I had planned it!" Solon taunted.

Senel reached out towards him, but he was in too much pain to move. "Shirley..."

"Stop!" Chloe raised her sword to attack, but Will grabbed her shoulder.

"Chloe, don't! You might hit Shirley!"

"But--"

"I'll deal with the rest of you later!" With that, Solon vanished in a puff of smoke, taking Shirley with him.

Senel managed to bring himself to his knees. "Shirley!"

"Damn!" Chloe lowered her sword.

Norma stomped her feet. "You're gonna pay for this, So-So!"

"Everyone, settle down!" Will said. "We need to decide on our next course of action."

"There's nothing to decide!" Senel yelled. "We have to save Shirley!"

"I would recommend searching for Moses and Jay first," Will told him. "They'll be easier to find, and we'll need their help to rescue Shirley."

"Will they still be able to fight after a fall like that?" Chloe asked. "We don't even know if they survived."

"Solon seemed pretty sure that Jay survived, at least," Will responded. "But we won't know until we find them. Let's go."

Grune looked over the railing. "I hope Moses and Jay are all right..."

"I have an idea!" Norma said. "Spot can use his wild animal nose to sniff out Red!"

"That's a good idea," Will said. "Giet has found his way to Moses before. I'm sure he can do it again."

Senel took a deep breath to calm himself. "All right, Giet, we're counting on you."

"Woof!" Giet put his nose to the ground and started sniffing. The group followed him as they finished crossing the bridge.

---------------

Meanwhile, Harriet was still watching over Elsa at Will's house. Elsa was still sleeping in Harriet's bedroom; she had not gotten up since the curse had begun. Harriet entered the room with a sandwich.

"Here, Elsa, I brought you a sandwich," she said. "Can you still eat?"

No response from Elsa. Harriet shook her head.

"I don't know what else to do..."

At that moment, there was a knock on the front door. Harriet ran downstairs and peeked through the tiny hole to see who the visitor was. She gasped and quickly opened the door.

"Madame Musette! Welcome!" Harriet said, taking a bow.

Musette smiled. "Well, aren't you the refined young lady now?"

Harriet hung her head. "Well...I just don't know how to act anymore. Everyone says I should act mature because I come from a noble family. But Dad says I should act more like a child."

"Oh, Harriet. You needn't worry about what other people think. The important thing is to be yourself, and take pride in who you are. No matter how hard you try, you can't please everyone. So don't worry about the ones you can't please. As long as you're pleased with yourself, that's all that matters."

"Yeah...okay, I'll do that. So, Madame Musette...what brings you here?"

"Ah yes...I just spoke with Arnold Alcott. He said that his daughter Elsa has not returned from the circus."

Harriet gasped. "Um..."

"Elsa was with you when you went to the circus, correct?" Musette asked. "Did something happen to her?"

Harriet fumbled for words. She had tried her hardest to keep anyone else from finding out about the curse, but lying to the sovereign of the Holy Rexalian Empire would be the greatest offense she could commit. Therefore, she had no choice but to tell the truth.

"Um...well...the truth is...on the way back from the circus...Elsa was attacked by this monster, and it put her under a curse."

"A curse?"

"It's a curse that makes her speak in pig latin. Dad and Senel and the others went to the Crusand Empire to get a rare eres stone to cure Elsa."

"The Crusand Empire?" Musette was growing even more worried. "You mean Will and the others have left the Legacy?"

"Well, yeah...they said this eres stone couldn't be found anywhere on the Legacy," Harriet told her.

"That is unfortunate. But Harriet, why didn't you inform Mr. Alcott?"

Harriet began to cry. "We...we didn't want him to get angry! He trusted us to look after Elsa, and we let him down!"

"Harriet, please calm down," Musette said. "No one is blaming you for what happened. Tell me, where is Elsa now?"

"She's upstairs...in my room."

"That's good. Harriet, I'm going to tell Alcott to come here. When he arrives, I want you to tell him everything."

Harriet looked up. "Everything?"

"Yes. Alcott has been very worried, not knowing what has happened to Elsa. He may not be pleased with what has happened, but at least Elsa is safe and out of harm's way. I believe he deserves to know that much."

Harriet sighed. "Yeah...I guess you're right."

"I'll see you later," Musette said. "I'll pray for Will and the others to return safely, and for Elsa's recovery."

Harriet planted her foot down and put her left fist to her right shoulder, a type of salute. "Thank you, Your Excellency."


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: This is something I'm sure all the fangirls will enjoy.

Okay, I feel a writer's block coming on with this story. However, I have several other story ideas rushing into my head. Should I work on those, or keep working on this one?

------------

"Owww..." Moses sat up, holding his head. "What the hell...?"

He looked around to find himself in a courtyard of some sort. This wasn't like a typical courtyard. This was more like a maze; the long bushes were growing in straight lines, turning corners. Moses looked next to him, where Jay was on the ground, still unconscious.

"Jay." Moses shook him gently, but there was no response. "Jay, wake up."

When Jay still didn't wake up, Moses looked around some more. He now noticed a fountain straight ahead, with fresh, clean water pouring from the top.

"Hey, that's just what we need!" Moses picked up Jay, carried him over to the fountain, and carefully placed him in the water. Moses then got into the water himself and scrubbed himself clean the best he could. After that, he began to scrub Jay. Even after the water and the scrubbing, Jay still had not awakened.

"Hmm...Solon must have hit him hard," Moses told himself.

He pulled Jay out of the fountain, then walked beside the wall until he came to a set of stairs. After climbing the stairs, he noticed a door to his left. He opened it and peeked inside.

"Hey! I like this room!"

-------------------

After crossing the bridge, the survivors of the party entered another long, wide hallway. On the left side, tall knight statues were lined up, all holding axes upright. On the right side, the windows were wide open, and the breeze was blowing the purple silk curtains towards the center.

"Brrr...it's chilly in here," Norma whined.

"The breeze feels quite nice," Grune said.

"Will you stop chit-chatting and let's go!" Senel yelled.

"Sheesh; what's your problem?" Norma asked.

"He gets like this whenever Shirley is in danger," Will told her. "Surely you know that by now."

_When Shirley is in danger..._ Chloe thought. _I wonder if he'd act like this if something happened to me..._

The group slowly walked through the hallway, with Grune in the back. About halfway across, they heard a soft rattling noise.

"Wh...what was that?" Chloe asked.

Norma turned around; the statue directly to the left of Grune was slowly lowering its axe toward her.

"G-Girl, look out!" Norma cried.

The knight then brought its axe down sharply. Without even looking, Grune simply raised her left arm, grabbing the axe just a few inches from the blade, stopping it just an inch above her head. After that, the knight simply fell apart, and the metal pieces crashed roughly on the floor.

"Hmm?" Grune held the axe in front of her, tilting her head. "What was I just doing?"

"You really don't want to know," Norma said.

Will looked up at the other knight statues. "The others will probably do the same thing. We'll need to run across as quickly as possible."

The group nodded, then ran down the wide corridor as fast as they could. As predicted, the other knight statues brought their axes down, narrowly missing the group. Each statue fell apart after bringing the axes down. The group stopped at the end of the corridor.

"Whew..." they said in unison.

"Somehow we made it," Will said.

Senel looked around, noticing another piece of paper pinned to the wall. "Here's another note."

"Uh-oh...I wonder what this one says?" Norma asked.

"Let's fine out," Will said. "Senel, if you would."

"Right." Senel opened the note and read it out loud.

_Just so you know, I have been able to capture Shirley. You should have seen the look on Senel's face...it was so ridiculous, it was absolutely hilarious! I had Jay where I wanted him as well, but I ended up knocking him off the bridge along with Moses. Damn that little brat for angering me. The two of them should have landed in the garden. I'm certain that Jay had survived the fall. At the very least, I'm hoping that Moses is just a broken, bloody corpse. However, he might be too stubborn to die._

_On the bright side, Jay and Moses have been separated from the rest of the group, which should make them easier targets. We shall capture Jay and dispose of the stupid bandit._

_Senel and the others must be eliminated as well before they can reunite. Now go and entertain our guests._

The group fell silent for a moment.

"Wh...what was that about?" Chloe asked.

"At least now we know where Jay and Moses landed when they fell off the bridge," Will said.

"The garden is a ways off from here," Senel said, "but I think I can find the way there without too much trouble."

"That's assuming we don't run into too many obstacles," Chloe added.

The group nodded, then went through the door to the next room.

-------------

Jay woke up with a start. As his vision cleared, he found himself in a large bedroom that could only be described as luxurious. He was in a bed with red satin sheets, complete with a red canopy. However, he found it odd to be in a bedroom, considering what had just happened.

_Solon knocked me right off the bridge,_ he thought. _So how did I end up here?_

Jay gasped as the door opened suddenly, but he quickly realized that it was only Moses, carrying a wine bottle and two glasses.

"Oh Jay, you're finally awake," Moses said.

"Moses...what are you doing?" Jay asked.

"Gettin' some wine, of course."

"What do we need wine for?" Jay got out of bed and started towards the door. "We need to find Senel and the others as quickly as possible."

As he walked, Moses simply reached out and grabbed the back of Jay's collar. "Hold on there, Jay."

"Let me go," Jay said calmly but firmly.

"I wouldn't go out there if I were you," Moses responded.

"I said let me go!"

Moses jerked on Jay's collar, and Jay crashed into the side of the bed. Jay quickly straightened himself.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" he yelled.

"There's a whole bunch of those monks out there," Moses told him. "It'd be better for us to wait here."

"We won't find the others by sitting here."

"Naw, we'll wait for them to find us. They're with Giet, and Giet can find me anywhere."

"Really? I didn't know your body odor was that strong."

"Now listen, you...oh, forget it."

Jay raised an eye. "Hmm?"

"We gotta figure out what to do until the others get here," Moses said.

Jay let out an exasperated sigh. "So I'm stuck with the stupid bandit yet again..."

Moses grinned. "Must be fate tryin' to tell us something."

Jay stomped his foot. "Now don't start that again! This is neither the time nor the place for that!"

Moses frowned now. "What're you talkin' about?"

"You even have to ask? Do you even know our current situation?"

Moses' grin quickly returned. "Of course! We're all alone together in the middle of a big, dark, spooky castle! So we oughtta heat things up a bit!"

"You know what's going to happen, don't you? We'll either get killed by all those monks, or we'll face endless torment from Norma and Harriet. In fact, I'm surprised you even survived the fall."

"Ha! You expected otherwise?"

Jay paused. "I'll admit that I did...but now that I think about it, you're far too stupid to die."

"Huh. Then there's nothin' to worry about. Solon wants you alive, and you think I'm too stupid to die. So what are you worried about?"

"Well...there is Norma and Harriet to worry about."

"Bah. We're not gonna let them find out. Now come on; we haven't got all night."

Moses reached out and grabbed Jay's shoulders, but Jay pushed him away.

"Oh...playin' hard-to-get, huh?" Moses asked.

"No...more like 'impossible-to-get,'" Jay replied.

"You know, a small fry like you may not know this, but I realized that it's a lot more fun when you do that."

"What?"

"When you try to get away, it's a lot of fun for me to chase you down. It's just like huntin' and I love it."

"So in other words, if I simply submit, it'll be less fun for you?"

"What, are you stupid? Of course it'll still be fun!"

Jay rolled his eyes. _I give up...after hearing a line like that from him..._

Instead of responding, he turned around and walked over to the side of the bed and folded his arms.

"Ooh, looks like I hit a nerve with that one," Moses told himself. "Well, this is my chance..."

He quietly moved behind Jay and bent his knees slightly. Jay hopped onto the bed, avoiding Moses' dive. Jay grabbed a pillow and slapped the bandit, knocking him off the bed.

Moses sat up. "Oh, so that's how you wanna play, huh? Well, two can play that game!"

He grabbed the other pillow and swung it hard, hitting Jay's legs, knocking him down on the bed.

"Yaah!" Moses leaped right on top of him.

"Arrgh! Get off me!" Jay planted his feet into Moses' abdomen and threw him off the bed. Moses stood up, picking up the pillow again.

Jay hopped down from the bed with his pillow in hand. Moses swung his pillow again, hitting Jay in the face.

"Ah!" Jay cried out. "This isn't over yet!"

He gripped the pillow with both hands and slapped Moses with it. From there, the pair continued to exchange blows with the pillows.

------------

Back in Werites Beacon, Harriet was still sitting at Elsa's side, fidgeting her hands.

"Oh Elsa," she said. "Mr. Alcott is coming, and...I don't know what to tell him. He's going to be so angry at us..."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Harriet gasped.

"Oh no, that's him!" She stood up and took a deep breath. "Okay, Harriet, you can do this. Just tell him what happened, say you're sorry, and all that good stuff..."

She went downstairs to answer the door. As expected, Arnold Alcott stood outside.

"Good evening, Harriet," he said. "Her Excellency asked me to come here."

"Well..." Harriet stammered. "I know you're probably really angry right now, and you have every right to be..."

"Harriet? Just tell me what happened. I just want to know that my daughter is safe."

"Well, yeah, she's safe. See, after the circus, this monster put her under a pig latin curse. Now she's only speaking in pig latin."

Alcott stroked his chin. "Hmm...I see. Where is she now?"

"She's upstairs in my room."

"Oh, may I come in?"

"Oh, sure!" Harriet stepped aside, allowing Alcott to enter the house. She then led him upstairs to her room. Alcott stood beside the bed, looking down at Elsa for a moment.

"Elsa?"

"Atherfay..." Elsa muttered.

"You see, this is why we thought you would be angry," Harriet said. "We promised to look after Elsa, but...but..."

"Well, I do wish you had told me sooner, but I appreciate your continuing to look after her after the incident."

Harriet sighed with relief. "Thank you...yeah, you're right. We should have told you sooner."

Alcott looked around. "By the way, is Will home?"

"He went with Senel and the others to find a special eres stone to cure Elsa. They said it could only be found on the mainland."

"I see...that is troublesome. Had I know, I would have gone as well."

"So what will you do?" Harriet asked.

"Well, Port-on-Rage doesn't operate at night, so I'll stay here and put my trust in Senel's group. Let us both pray for their success."

"Okay." Harriet closed her eyes and began to pray. "Dad, please come back safely with the others and safe Elsa..."


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: I don't know why I feel like I have to include an author's note at the beginning of each chapter...but it just feels strange without an author's note. Go figure...

Well, I thought I was getting writer's block, but I got some new ideas after all. Thanks to my adoring readers; without you, these stories would not be possible.

-------------

Jay and Moses stood facing each other in the castle bedroom, breathing heavily, still holding the pillows.

"Whew...that wore me out!" Moses said. "I feel like I could fall asleep."

"Me too," Jay said.

Suddenly, there was a loud pounding on the door. Moses quickly embraced Jay.

"It's those crazy monks!" he cried. "They're gonna kill me! Save me, Jay!"

"Knock it off, you pathetic dolt!" Jay responded. "Your whining could peel paint!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, never mind!"

Jay moved to the door and leaned against the wall. Moses leaned against the wall across from him. The doors flew open, and the monks rushed into the room. Moses and Jay remained well-hidden behind the open doors. As the monks searched the room, Jay emerged from behind the door and checked on Moses on the other side.

"Huh?" Moses asked.

"Shh!" Jay gave a silent signal for Moses to follow him. Together, they snuck out of the room and through the dining room. Then they went through the door to the next room.

"What the hell?" Moses gasped. "What kind of room is this?"

It was an empty stone room above a damp black pit. Looking up, the pair could see the full moon through the skylight. Jay and Moses walked to the center of the stone path.

"All right!" Moses yelled. "Looks like we were too smart for those monks! Yeehaw!"

"Moses, please don't flatter yourself," Jay said. "I don't recall anything smart coming from you."

A soft growling noise came from below. Jay and Moses looked down into the black pit.

"There's something down there," Jay said.

"Ya think?" Moses asked.

Suddenly, a black dragon with a green glow flew up from the pit below, seizing Jay's wrist as it came. Moses was thrown backwards, hitting the floor on his back.

The dragon flew right through the skylight, shattering it. Moses covered his face as the glass rained down on him.

"Jay!" Moses quickly got up, then jumped up, throwing a flaming spear into the ground. The resulting explosion propelled the bandit all the way through the skylight, where he landed on the roof.

Jay looked down at the ground as the dragon carried him through the air. He pulled out his dagger and slashed its talon, freeing himself. Jay cried out as he fell towards the ground, flipping uncontrollably. The dragon quickly corrected itself, as it swerved around. It caught Jay by the ankle this time, then made another U-turn, resuming its flight to its original destination, wherever that might be.

Moses watched as the dragon flew past, carrying Jay by his ankle. "I'm comin', Jay! Yeehaw!"

He leaped into the nearby tree, then slid along the branches on his feet as if he were skateboarding. Then he leaped out of that tree and into the next one in pursuit of the dragon. As Moses reached the end of that tree and leaped out, he realized that there was no other tree to leap into. This meant that he had to make his attack now.

Moses' spear began to glow, forming flames that took the shape of an eagle.

"Eagle Shot!" He threw the flaming spear at the dragon, piercing it through. The dragon let out a roar of pain as it flipped uncontrollably, inadvertently tossing Jay into the air. The dragon then fell, crashing violently onto the ground with a loud boom. Moses began to lose altitude as he began to fall, but he managed to spot Jay falling towards him. Moses reached out, embracing Jay in mid-air. Finally, they both crashed onto the ground, rolling about ten feet, stopping right in front of a door, with Moses on top of Jay.

"Ugh..." Jay trembled as he breathed heavily. He was obviously shaken by the entire experience. "What the...?"

Moses chuckled in between groans. "Whaddaya think of that, huh? I'm pretty good, ain't I?"

"Wh...what did you do that for?" Jay asked.

"I told you that I was goin' to protect you," Moses said. "So that's what I did. I protected you."

Jay sighed. "There was no telling what that dragon would have done with me. Th...thank you."

"This is so touchin'!" Moses began to stroke Jay's face. "My sweet little brother! I don't ever wanna lose you! We're gonna stay together, no matter what!"

Suddenly, the large door creaked open nearby. Moses and Jay both gasped and looked up.

"Moses, Jay!" Senel called as he and the others stood in the doorway.

"Are you two all right?" Will asked.

"Well...I've been better," Jay said.

"Would you look at that!" Norma exclaimed. "Fancy seeing you two like this."

Moses' eyes widened. He quickly grabbed Jay and pulled him to his chest. "Oh Jay, I'm so glad you're all right!"

"Nice try, Red, but you can't fool me," Norma said. "We caught you red-handed! You two were just having some hot, steamy--"

Will quickly bonked her, cutting her off.

"Ow!--coffee?"

"Moses and Jay like each other a lot," Grune said.

Jay and Moses stood up and glared at Norma.

"Take a look!" Jay said. "Does it really look like we're having coffee?"

"Well, no, but...but..." Norma stammered.

"That's enough," Will said.

Moses looked over the entire group. "Hey, what happened to Shirley?"

"She was kidnapped by Solon," Will said. "It happened right after you were knocked off that bridge."

Jay folded his arms. "I see. So the eres stone will have to wait until after we've rescued her."

"Knowing what kind of person Solon is, we can't just leave her in his grasp," Chloe said. "There's no telling what he's done to her already."

"Well, considering his objective is the Nerifes Cannon, I don't think he's going to harm her until he returns to the Legacy," Jay pointed out.

"And he probably won't return to the Legacy until he deals with us," Will added.

"Well, none of that matters," Senel said. "We have to save Shirley."

Jay shot him a look. "I happen to know that this is very important information, Senel. Think about it. If Solon doesn't want to harm Shirley, where would he keep her?"

"In a dungeon."

"Right. And I've never seen a castle without a dungeon."

"Yeah, even Teach has a dungeon in his own home!" Norma threw in.

Will glared at her. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well...nothing."

"Senel, since you're somewhat familiar with the castle's layout, perhaps you could lead us to the dungeon?" Jay asked.

Senel nodded. "Right."

----------------

Senel led the group to a dungeon, which was a poorly lit, dismal room. The group looked around the black stone walls and the dark steel cell doors. Senel looked ahead and spotted a piece of paper on the floor. He went over and picked it up.

"Ooh, another note?" Norma asked. "What's it say?"

Senel opened up the paper and read it out loud.

_I clearly underestimated the stupid bandit's ability. I sent a dragon to capture Jay, but Moses managed to rescue him. Moses may not be too smart, but he knows how to use his iron eres._

_On top of that, the two have been reunited with Senel's group. Their next priority will be to rescue Shirley. Finding her will be all too easy, but they'll never get her out. I shall keep the key on my person at all times, so they'll have to go through me if they wish to rescue Shirley._

"Senel?" Shirley's voice called. "Is that you?"

Senel looked up. "Shirley?"

"It's coming from over there!" Chloe said, pointing to one of the cells.

The group ran over to the prison cell. Senel peeked through the small window to see Shirley locked inside.

"Shirley, are you all right?" Senel asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Shirley said. "What about you? Are you hurt?"

"We're fine. Hang on, we'll get you out of here."

Senel jerked on the door, then kicked it a few times, but the door wouldn't budge at all.

"That door looks pretty sturdy," Will said. "We won't be able to open it this way. We'll have to get the key from Solon."

"How do we do that?" Norma asked. "We know how quick he is and all..."

"We don't have a choice," Senel said. "We've beaten Solon before, and we can do it again. Let's go."

The group began to leave the dungeon, but Jay stayed put, lowering his head.

"Senel."

Everyone stopped and looked at Jay as he raised his head. His face had an expression of pure ice.

"What is it, Jay?" Senel asked. "You've got that look on your face."

"We cannot afford to fight Solon," Jay said. "Not here on the mainland, anyway."

"Why not?" Senel exploded. "We have to take him out now! If he returns to the Legacy--"

"We'll deal with him then," Jay cut him off. "Listen, you all feel nervous and uneasy in this castle, do you not?"

"Yes, it is uncomfortable," Chloe admitted.

The others nodded in agreement.

"I feel the same way," Jay said. "With these fears, Solon will have the advantage over us. We'll be much more comfortable fighting him on the Legacy."

"I see," Will said. "So you want to wait until we have the home field advantage. That does make sense."

"But what about Shirley?" Senel asked. "If Solon has the key, then we have no choice but to confront him!"

"I have a plan," Jay replied. "I can get the key myself. However, in order to do so, I'm going to have to let Solon catch me."

Everyone gasped.

"Jay...are you sure you want to do this?" Shirley asked. "I can't imagine the horrible things Solon has done to you. I don't want you to get hurt on my account."

"It's all right," Jay told her. "I know what I'm doing. And there's no other way."

He began to walk out of the dungeon, but turned to the others one last time. "Everyone, please wait here until I return."

"Hey, wait!" Norma called. "This is the part where you're supposed to say, 'If I'm not back in five minutes, come get me'!"

Jay looked at her for a moment, then shook his head. "No. Wait until I return."

He turned and left the dungeon casually, while the others watched him with great concern.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Let's try a different person for shounen-ai, shall we? Don't worry, this one won't go as far as Jay and Moses did.

-----------------

The monks shoved Jay into a bedroom, then walked out and closed the door. Jay looked forward to see Solon standing in front of the red satin sheeted bed. On the desk next to the bed was a bucket of ice with a red wine bottle inside. Two wine glasses were sitting next to the bucket.

"Well, I thought this was how it would turn out," Solon said with a grin. "I'm only sorry that it took so long."

Jay said nothing in response.

"You didn't put up much of a struggle, Jay," Solon continued. "I can only believe that you submitted yourself for some reason."

"Why would I ever submit myself to you?" Jay asked coldly.

"You've already found Shirley in the dungeon, correct? Perhaps you're after this." Solon pulled out a key and held it up, then put it away again. "So would you like to make a deal?"

"No. Not after what happened last time. You promised to leave the Oresoren alone if I brought Shirley to you. Yet even after I did so, you were still going to harm them. Therefore, I cannot trust your word."

"Well then. You'll just have to take the key by force, won't you? I assure you, that will not happen."

"So...why exactly did you want me alive?" Jay asked.

"You abandoned me before your training was complete," Solon told him. "So it's time to finish."

"I never abandoned you. It was the other way around." Jay pointed a finger at him. "You left me to die!"

Solon brushed Jay's arm away and punched him in the face. "Yet you did not die. If you survived, you should have returned to me. Since you did not, it means that you abandoned me."

Jay looked away, as he had nothing to say in response.

"Ah, so now you see the truth," Solon said.

Jay looked at his former master again. "Solon, I understand that you've learned how to activate the Nerifes Cannon."

"Yes, I've always known."

"What? You mean that when you tortured me for that information, you already knew the whole time?"

Solon grinned. "That's correct."

"That wasn't very smart. Why did you waste your time doing that?"

"Waste my time?" Solon seemed surprised. "Dear boy, that was no waste of time. I did it because I wanted your pain. I wanted to hurt you. And I enjoyed every minute of it."

Jay dropped his head with a sigh. Solon stepped in front of him, cupped his chin, and lifted his head back up.

"Look me in the eye when I'm speaking to you."

"I suppose you want to hurt me again?" Jay asked apprehensively.

"Oh no...this time I have different plans for you."

_What's he trying to do?_ Jay wondered.

Solon pointed to the bed. "Move over to the bed."

---------------

Meanwhile, Senel's group sat outside Shirley's cell, patiently awaiting Jay's return.

"This waiting is hard," Norma said. "There has to be something we can do."

"I don't even like the idea of waiting," Senel said. "We have to help Jay. There's no telling what Solon is doing to him."

"I'm with Senel!" Moses said. "This whole thing bites!"

"Settle down, everyone," Will told them. "I understand your concern for Jay. I feel the same way. But the best thing to do is to put our trust in him. If anyone can do this, he can."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Senel agreed.

"Senel?" Shirley called. "Please save Jay."

Everyone looked at the cell.

"Shirley?" Senel called back.

"I can't bear the thought of him risking himself for me," Shirley said. "I don't want him to suffer because of me. So please save him. There has to be another way to get the key."

Senel turned to the others. "Guys...I'm sorry, but I just can't say no to Shirley."

"I know what you mean," Moses said.

Will stood up now. "All right, we'll find Solon and get the key together."

"Shirley, just hang on," Senel said. "We'll be back, I promise."

"Please be careful," Shirley said.

"We will."

The group nodded and left the dungeon.

----------------

Solon drew his sword and held the blade to Jay's neck. "I said get to the bed!"

Jay walked over to the bed, uncertain.

"Now sit!" Solon ordered.

Jay sat on the edge of the bed. Solon walked over to him slowly, then leaned forward, planting both hands on either side of him.

"Wh...what are you...?" Jay stammered.

"I know I've never told you this," Solon said, "but...I've always loved you."

"What?" Jay was shocked.

"Such a cute little boy, who kept moving after I had beaten you half to death. All of the apprentices before you gave up before the training even began. So I was forced to kill them all."

"No...stop it..."

"But you were different. You provided years of amusement for me. Now I shall show you my appreciation."

Solon raised his right hand and began stroking Jay's body.

"N...no! Stop it!" Jay slapped Solon's hand away and slid backwards on the bed. "You can't!"

Solon crawled onto the bed, getting in Jay's face again. "And why not? You seemed to enjoy it when you did it with Moses in the Forest of No Return."

Jay gasped. _He knows about that?_

Solon reached up, stroking Jay's face softly. "The way he stroked your face, the way you embraced him...you two were in pure ecstasy. I wonder if I can feel the same ecstasy?"

"Just because I enjoyed it with Moses doesn't mean that I would enjoy it with you!" Jay shot back.

"I'm not interested in your enjoyment. Your will means nothing to me. All that matters is what I want."

Solon slapped his palm atop Jay's head, then used his other hand to cup his chin. "You are mine."

Jay reached out towards Solon's shoulder, gripping a handful of his sleeve. "Someday I'll kill you..."

Solon grinned. "You were the only apprentice who had the guts to talk back like that."

He then lifted Jay by the head and set him down properly on the bed. Jay felt like he was about to scream as Solon lowered himself on top of him. Jay bit his bottom lip so hard that it began to bleed. Solon leaned in and licked the blood that trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"You know what I want to hear," Solon whispered.

"Y...yes, Master..."

Solon stroked Jay's face as he lowered himself once again when suddenly, the door flew open. They both looked up to see the red-haired bandit stumbling into the room.

"Holy--!" he cried. "Oops...wrong room."

"Moses?" Jay asked.

Moses choked up. "Ack! JAY!" he yelled. "And after we just sat there all worried about you, you do THIS? I can't believe it!"

Senel and the others entered the room as well with a very similar reaction.

Jay's eyes widened as his face turned beet red. "You stupid bandit! I told you all to wait for me!"

"Huh?" the group muttered in unison.

"Oh, I get it; he's forcing you." Moses raised his spear. "Why, you pervert!"

"Look who's talking," Norma said.

Jay turned his attention to Solon, throwing a vicious head butt into his forehead. Jay then flew out of the bed and rejoined the group.

"Very well, let's move on," he said.

"Wait," Solon called. "Do you intend to abandon Shirley? You'll never rescue her without the key to the prison cell."

"Let's not worry about that." With a twist of his wrist, the key rolled out of Jay's sleeve into his hand. "I already have it."

"Wow..." the others muttered in amazement.

Jay closed his eyes and smiled. "Farewell." He turned and left the room, and the others followed.

Solon searched himself, but found that the key really was missing. "Unbelievable. He actually _smiled_ at me? That little brat..."

--------------

The group returned to the dungeon and went to Shirley's cell.

"Shirley, we're back," Senel said.

"Senel? Did you find Jay?" Shirley asked.

"I'm right here," Jay told her. "I've obtained the key."

He inserted the key into the hole and unlocked the cell. Shirley stepped out and faced the group.

"Thank you so much for rescuing me," she said.

"All right, we're all together again," Moses said. "So...now what?"

"We should go underground and look for the ogre monster," Norma said.

Senel looked around. "There should be an elevator around here that leads to the underground mine...ah, there it is!"

The group spotted an old rusty elevator at the end of the dungeon. They nodded to each other in agreement, then stepped inside the elevator. Senel activated the controls, and the elevator began to descend into the underground.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: Finally, it's time to get to the real mission.

------------

The party stepped out of the elevator and into a cave with torches lined up on the walls. The group walked along the path, looking at the train tracks and trolleys that were strewn about chaotically.

"This appears to be a mining area," Jay said.

"All right!" Norma yelled. "A mine is a treasure hunter's best friend!"

"And also their worst enemy," Will said flatly.

"Norma, don't forget why we're here," Chloe said.

"Vaclav kept his monsters hidden down here," Senel said. "There's no telling what we'll encounter."

"We must proceed with caution," Will instructed. "Especially you, Norma."

Norma stomped her feet. "Why is it always me? It's not fair!"

The party ignored her protests and continued down the path. The exploration was uneventful; there were no enemies or obstacles to pass. After turning a few slight curves, they came to a large steel door and went through.

Now the heroes found themselves in a large room with stone walls and a steel floor. The group walked to the center of the room and looked around.

"Do you think Solon will send those monks after us?" Chloe asked.

"Solon still doesn't know our objective here," Jay said. "I doubt that he even knows that we're down here."

"Which means that we won't have to worry about him," Will said.

"That's good news for us," Senel added.

Just then, they heard a soft growling noise from the door at the back of the room. Slowly, everyone turned their heads in that direction.

"What the hell was that?" Moses asked.

They listened for the noise again, but the room was dead silent.

"Oh, you guys are just hearing things," Norma said. "Come on, let's get going!"

The party shrugged and followed her to the gigantic door at the back of the room. Norma studied the door carefully, tapping it a few times.

"I wonder why this door is so big?" Shirley asked.

"Something tells me that what we just heard wasn't just our imagination," Jay said.

"Ah ha!" Norma spotted a control panel next to the door. "It's time for Operation Kick-the-Door!"

She pulled her foot back, preparing to kick the control panel.

"Wait!" Will called.

Norma stopped and faced them. "What?"

The others took a series of large steps backwards, stopping at the center of the room.

"Okay, we're ready," Will said.

Norma kicked the control panel. The door slid open, and two giant ogre creatures stepped into the room. Norma screamed as she staggered backwards, falling on her rear. The party staggered backwards as well.

"What the hell?" Moses exclaimed.

"Are those...ogres?" Chloe asked. "Are those the monsters we've been looking for?"

"Are ogres supposed to be that big?" Senel asked.

One of the ogres lifted its foot, preparing to stomp on Norma. She quickly rolled aside as the foot slammed into the ground beside her.

"Ahh!" Norma ran over to the rest of the party, embracing Senel. "Protect me, Senny! I'm frightened!"

"Norma..." Chloe and Shirley both glared at her with fiery eyes.

"Heh heh..." Norma laughed sheepishly as she released Senel. She then studied the current situation. She gestured to the ogres, then to herself. "Big...small...I don't like these odds, Teach."

Will stared at the ogres in awe. "Yet another fascinating specimen! What luck! I hope I can acquire a sample!"

"Teach! Hello! Those things will, like, kill you!"

"All right!" Moses yelled. "Time to get those eres stones and save Elsa! Yeehaw!"

"Try not to ruin it for the rest of us, Moses," Jay said.

"Here they come!" Senel yelled. "Everyone, spread out!"

The giant ogres began to advance on them. The group quickly ran in different directions, stopping at opposite ends of the room.

"We'll need the crystal erens to unleash every eres they have!" Jay called. "The rest of us will back them up!"

"Right," Senel agreed.

Will, Norma, and Shirley ran to the walls, keeping as far away from the ogres as possible.

Senel raised his clenched fists and cautiously approached the ogres. Before he could make a move, one ogre kicked him with its giant foot, sending him flying across the room. Senel slammed into the wall, then hit the ground next to Shirley.

"Senel!" Shirley aborted her spell and knelt down beside him. She began to release her healing energy on him.

"Coolidge!" Chloe joined Shirley at Senel's side.

"Chloe, hold up!" Moses cried. "You could help us out, y'know!"

"Moses!" Jay called. "I'll distract the ogres while you unleash your raining attacks!"

Moses nodded. "You got it!"

Jay rushed towards the ogres in a speedy zigzag motion. The ogres threw various attacks at him: foot stomps, ground punches, hand slaps and grabs, and kicks. Jay dodged all the attacks, moving from one evasion to the next seamlessly, as if it were a dance.

Moses stood in awe for a few seconds, then remembered his duty. He threw his flaming spears into the air, and they rained down on the ogres like missiles. The ogres roared in agony, trying to slap the spears away.

"Extension!" Will unleashed his crystal eres; a green energy ball with a black aura formed around one of the ogres. The ogre roared in pain as it tipped over, hitting the ground with a loud thud.

Jay quickly climbed onto the monster's back, slashing its neck repeatedly with his dagger. Before he could slash all the way through to the throat, the ogre stood up again. Jay balanced himself on the monster's back until it stood upright, then flipped off, landing on his feet.

"Ancient Nova!" Norma unleashed her crystal eres at the other ogre. Explosive flames rained down around it, blasting it to the ground.

After seeing Jay's move, Chloe climbed onto the ogre's back and sliced its neck with her sword. As her sword was stronger than the dagger, she was able to slice all the way to its throat, effectively slaying it. The ogre dissolved into the thick brown sludge, leaving the glowing blue stones strewn about.

"One down, one to go!" Moses launched another volley of spears into the air.

"Tractor Beam!" Shirley unleashed her crystal eres; a beam of yellow energy shot out from underneath the remaining ogre, sending it several feet into the air. However, it landed on his feet and turned its attention towards her.

Grune stepped in between Shirley and the ogre.

"G-Girl, what are you doing?" Norma cried.

Grune stepped right in front of the ogre. The monster slowly lifted its foot.

"Grune, no!" the group shouted at once.

As the monster brought its foot down, Grune grabbed it, lifting it into the air.

"Whoa..." the group muttered, amazed by her superhuman strength.

Grune threw the monster's leg into the air, throwing it off balance. The monster hit the ground with yet another thud that shook the entire room.

Chloe and Jay nodded to each other, then climbed onto the monster's chest and slashed at its neck with their weapons. It took a moment to penetrate its tough hide. They eventually slashed its throat, killing it for good. The body dissolved into the brown sludge, leaving the eres stones in its place.

"Did we...win?" Senel asked.

"Yes...we did it!" Chloe said.

"Somehow that seemed really easy," Norma commented.

"That's because we all worked together as a team," Will told her.

"I'm glad I was able to help," Grune said.

"Hey, how come you're so strong, Grune?" Moses asked.

"Hmm?"

"Yeah, G-Girl, what's your secret?" Norma added.

Grune scratched her head. "I wonder..."

Everyone dropped their heads. "Never mind..."

Will approached the eres stones and began picking them up. "Damn, I missed my chance to get a sample..."

"Oh, that's too bad, dear," Grune said.

"Well, now that we've got the eres stones we're looking for, let's go back and cure Elsa!" Norma declared.

"If only it were that easy," Chloe pointed out. "We don't even know where we are."

The group looked around, just now realizing that they had gone quite deep into the castle.

Will pointed at the door from which the ogres had come. "The path continues beyond that door. Let's follow it and see where it leads us."

The group nodded, then went through the door, which led to another path. It was another long, empty path, eventually leading to an outdoor field. The group walked a few yards out, then turned around to look up at the castle.

"We made it!" Norma exclaimed. "We're out of the castle!"

"Talk about a stroke of luck," Senel said.

They looked up at the sky; the sun was starting to rise, turning the sky bright blue.

"It's morning," Will said.

"The sun's warmth feels so good," Chloe said.

"All right, let's head back home."

The group nodded as they walked farther out into the field.

--------------

Solon stood on a balcony of the castle, watching the group through some binoculars.

"So they're leaving," he told himself. "Oh well, no matter. I shall deal with them later. The Radiant girl will do me no good here on the mainland anyway. Rest assured, they have not seem the last of me."

Solon put the binoculars away and calmly walked back into the castle.


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note: This is the conclusion. I hope you enjoyed the story.

----------------

The sun was shining just as brightly on the Legacy as Senel's group crossed the bridge to enter Werites Beacon. They wasted no time in returning to Will's house, where Elsa was resting. However, as they entered the house, they found Harriet, Madame Musette, and Alcott in the living room waiting for them.

"Good morning, Will," Musette said sweetly.

Will's eyes widened. "Y-Your Excellency..."

"Uh-oh...busted," Norma muttered.

"Will?" Senel asked. "Don't tell me you never told Musette where we were going..."

"Harriet told me everything," Musette said.

Will put his left fist to his right shoulder. "I apologize, Madame Musette. It won't happen again. We will make sure to inform you should we need to leave the Legacy again."

"Alcott..." Chloe said. "I'm sorry we never told you what happened to Elsa. There's no excuse..."

"I know you all meant well," Alcott said. "But my daughter is safe now, so there's no need to worry."

"Is it safe to assume that your mission went well?" Musette asked.

Will cleared his throat. "Er...yes. We've successfully obtained the eres stones."

"Now we can cure Elsa from that curse!" Norma said.

"Let's go."

Everyone went upstairs, where Elsa was still sleeping on the bed. Will sat beside her with the eres stones in his hand.

"Recover!" Will cast his healing spell on Elsa. The green energy flowed throughout her body for a moment, then faded away.

Everyone waited for something to happen. Slowly, Elsa's eyes fluttered open as she sat up.

"Father?" she asked. "Chloe?"

Chloe smiled. "Elsa, you're all right!"

Elsa's face lit up. "Wow...I can talk normal again! You saved me! Thank you!" She embraced Chloe, and then Alcott.

Musette smiled now. "All's well that ends well, right, everyone?"

"Right," Will agreed. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I'll be taking a nap now."

He left the bedroom, then went into his own room, closing the door behind him. The others went downstairs into the living room again.

"We should get some rest ourselves," Senel said. "We've had a very long night."

"We sure have," Chloe said.

"All right then, it's off to bed!" Norma called. "Charge!"

However, instead of charging, Norma collapsed to the floor right then and there. The others looked at her for a moment. Grune reclined on the sofa and went to sleep.

"Ugh..." Jay rubbed his forehead as he passed out.

Moses caught Jay before he hit the ground. He stroked Jay's head while singing softly. "Rock-a-bye and goodnight...go to sleep, little baby..." Then the red-haired bandit hit the floor, still cuddling Jay.

Chloe sat on the floor, resting her head on the coffee table and fell asleep.

Senel and Shirley nodded to each other. They went to the wall and slid down to the floor, also falling asleep.

Musette, Harriet, Alcott, and Elsa looked at the sleeping party for a moment. Then they glanced at each other and shrugged.

------------

**Solon received the title of Child Molester**

**Senel's group received the title of Busted**


End file.
